For February

It seems only appropriate to end February with something that looks ethnic (and thus my little mini-tribute to Black History Month).  One of John's friends from our bank wants to give her mother and her sister these bags.  Note:  This Leap Year Day is incredible - it's sunny and in the 50's. 

In Process

One bag is complete, and four more are in process - straps, zippers, pockets, small zippered pouches to go with the totes. These are what I'm thinking of selling at an AAUW fundraiser in May. I am definitely going to use more of the home dec fabrics - they are perfect for these totes.

And I must organize the studio - it's out of control...again. Not one of the fabric cabinet doors is closed, there are project piles all over, the little box of zippers and magnets is spread out, and some things just need to be put away.

Present Ready

This shower present for Mike Kaiser and his fiance Lauren is ready for tomorrow's shower.  It's fun to see lovely young adults find their life partners and all glowy with the newness of love.  I love how this casserole carrier turned out, with the outside featuring some glitz!  The spoon handle is icing on this little quilted cake, and the little grey bow is the only wrapping this present will get.

 

Present Parts

 

My best friend's son is marrying, and his fiance's wedding shower is Sunday. I'm sad about missing the February meeting of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild, but I'm thrilled for my friend and her family. I found an unusual batik, one side is metallic and the other isn't. I'm currently working on quilting this with a metallic thread. The binding and handle straps will be a solid black. And the batting is a thermal batting. The spoon which serves as the handle is one made by my cousin Jerry. And who doesn't love a 9" x 13" pan with its own cover? This casserole carrier will be fabulous!

When life gives you scraps...

add zippers and make little pouches!

Tote Bag - Quilted, of course

 My QFF Wayne's son Andrew is getting married tomorrow in San Diego.  And his daughter Emily who does mission work in South Africa is in for the wedding.  Wayne wants to send Emily back with a new quilted tote, and here it is. 

He asked for something sturdy, so I used a Home Dec fabric, and I like the results a lot.  This tote stands up on its own because I used Soft and Stable by byannie.com .
He also asked for a zipper.  The picture below show this effort.  Each end of the zipper has a tab which can be tucked down into the bag.  Each interior side has pockets.  Best of all:  I have enough fabric to make two more of these!

Valentines

Former treasurer and current program committee member Sue R. of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild sent this quilted Valentine's Day postcard. She taught our guild how to do these last August.  Don't tell my husband, but it is my favorite Valentine!

Scrappy Batik - Finished!

This is my first completed quilt of 2012. Admitting that I work large and dark is the first step, isn't it? This is 91" by 73" and was quilted by T and F Studios using the Baptist Fan design. It's hard to see this design on these batiks, but see if you can spot it some of the pictures below. Washing the quilt helped the quilting pattern pop.  This quilt is for my living room, more specifically my reading corner, where I spend many early mornings.

The back of this quilt is darker than the front.  And my fabric cabinets are a bit more controlled, thanks to this project.

Joyful Noise

Before Joyful Noise can be submitted to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative, it must be properly registered.  Part of this registration process includes getting written permission from the designer, if the design isn't original.

The idea for this quilt came from the logo of  The Jazz Cruise , an entertainment company based in St. Louis.   They directed me to graphic designer Carlos Zamora, who has done some wonderful work.   And Carlos has given permission to use his design.

The back of Joyful Noise uses a hanging method recommended by the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative - the fast finish triangles.  Here's the explanation of this method.

A big thank to you who suggested names for this quilt!   You rock!

Fabric Candy Land, In Situ

Fabric Candy Land

 

This 48" x 30" wall hanging is complete. Tomorrow John will hang it in the studio on the wall above my sewing machine. I'm pleased with it, but this piece was a learning experience. I have learned that when using a white background, any stray threads between the batting and the quilt top will definitely show through the quilting. Next time I'll be more careful. I quilted this with invisible thread - QFF Wayne does it all the time, and I recently heard on Mark Lipinski's Creative Mojo podcast that invisible thread has come a long way. And I was pleased with it! I didn't do any quilting on top of the colored fabrics, only on the background. That may eventually change. But for now I think this piece is complete. These little bars of colored fabric are from Jinny Beyer.

(A word of thanks to readers for their suggestions for my Alzheimer's Quiltlet.  Still waiting to hear from the logo designer and mulling around possibilities before a final blog post.  "Joyful Noise" is my favorite so far.  And I may have to do another quiltlet, one focusing on the piano, and tie that directly to my mother.  Support from readers has been generous, and I'm thankful.)

Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

Have I mentioned lately much I love my Chicago Modern Quilt Guild? Our Program Chair Terri and committee member Sue are leading this month's meeting, which will be devoted to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.

This meeting and the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative are especially timely for me: my mom is in late stages of Alzheimer's. Despite her disconnect from her memory and friends and family, she's very pleasant. Most amazing is her musical ability: she still plays the piano accurately and soulfully.

John and I just returned from his "hard core" jazz cruise. I loved it. We heard such spectacular music. I fell in love with Jay Leonhart, Shelly Berg, Wycliffe Gordon, and Tommy Igoe. (Seriously, Wycliffe Gordon is a trombone player - who knew I loved the trombone?) There was music from 10 am until midnight - and beyond.

I'll be missing the February guild meeting and want to participate in the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. And this 9" x 12" is what I did today. It needs a name before I can submit it. There's a connection between my mom, her music, the jazz cruise, and the power of sound. Tonight I just can't see it.